A Day In The Life of A Post-Grad, Pre-PT Student

If you have been keeping up to date with my blog posts, you probably remember an announcement I made about an online Pre-DPT club I made with my friend, Jess (of PT Contender). If not, well now you know! Jess and I thought it would be a great idea to create an virtual series called, A Day In The Life. Our vision for this series was to provide Pre-PT students and physical therapists a platform in which to share what their day consists of. In turn, it will help create a community of like minded people and allow us to connect, network, and hopefully build friendships and rapport.

Now that I have entered the scary, exciting world of post-grad life, my current schedule is not just attending class and studying. While I do have a couple of pre-req classes to finish before I start applying to PT school, I also have two part time jobs: working as a PT Aide at a local PT clinic AND creating content for my blog. So if you’re interested on what my typical day looks like, allow me to show you!

What my Mondays consist of:

0630: Time to wake up and begin my day! Thanks to my previous years running cross country in high school, I automatically wake up at this time. I set an alarm out of habit, but I normally wake up from my slumber 5 minutes before the alarm goes off. Lately, I’ve incorporated Dr. Jen Esquer’s morning mobility exercises to help wake my muscles and it has been absolutely AMAZING!

0645: After doing some light stretching, I make my bead and head downstairs to the kitchen to make my breakfast. For breakfast, I put 2 slices of whole wheat bread in the toaster. While waiting, I make myself a cup of green tea and check my social media (Instagram and Facebook) and email. When the toast is ready, I’ll spread on peanut butter and top it off with banana slices or blueberries. I really like to take my time eating breakfast, it allows my mind to start fresh and really think about my goals for the day.

0715: Since I work at the clinic on Mondays, I make myself lunch to bring or what I like to call, baon (tagalog for packed lunch). For my baon, I usually make myself a sandwich consisting of turkey slices, cheese, and lettuce. For other snacks, I’ll usually pack an apple, a granola bar, and baby carrots.

0730: I go back upstairs to shower and get ready for the day. If I showered the night before, I just go straight into getting dressed. I actually prefer this but if I run in the mornings, then I will shower in the morning.

0800: I’m ready to go to work and still have around 35 minutes before I have to leave for work. If I’m feeling lazy, I’ll catch up on my shows on Netflix or watch videos on YouTube. My favorite shows to watch on Netflix are Dear White People, Grey’s Anatomy, and HTGAWM. My favorite YouTube channels are Wong Fu Productions, Asia Jackson, WatchCut, and The Kinjaz. If I’m feeling productive, I’ll plan out my blogging post schedule or make adjustments to it. I also use this time to find a picture to post on Instagram.

0835: I get in my car and drive to work. I am fortunate to have a 10 minute commute to the clinic. I seriously believe this is why I get to enjoy my mornings!

0900: After arriving at the clinic and clocking in, my work morning begins. It depends on the day and how busy the clinic is: on busy mornings, I am working with a patient right away and on slow mornings, I’m most likely checking the schedule or checking the laundry. Depending on how the morning goes, I could be working with as many as 12 patients and on other days I might only working with 4 patients. It all relies on who shows up and who cancels their appointment.

1100: I take my ten minute break by eating my snack in the break room and checking my phone.

1110-1300: I finish my shift at the clinic and drive over to the community college to start chem lab. The drive from the clinic to the campus is around 8 minutes and lab starts at 1330, so I eat lunch in my car and listen to music.

1330-1630: Chemistry lab is in session. Depending on the lab, I could be in class the whole three hours. There’s also a chance of getting out early, but that’s very rare.

1645: I return home and change into workout clothes. I lace on my running shoes and go for a run. I aim to run 3 miles where I solely focus on running the whole time and not stopping. Since I am getting back in my running routine, I don’t run for time. I always find that running simply for the run and not for the time is always more fun. I guess the exception to this is if I am running a race, then time is a factor, but that’s a different story.

1720: I finish my 3 mile loop and do my cool down stretches. After doing these, I make a glass of chocolate milk and mix in chia seeds. This is my go to post run drink. It’s pretty simple, nothing fancy!

1800: I change out of my running clothes, shower and out on my pajamas. I head back downstairs to do homework. After I’ll work on my blog by drafting posts. I’ve learned in the beginning that the method that works for me is to write a couple of blog posts at once and schedule them to post. This allows me to go back an edit the drafts, add pictures, etc before posting.

2000: Dinner time! Today we are having adobo chicken with rice and salad. My family eats dinner pretty late since we’re all busy in the late afternoons. What I really love though is that we all still have family dinners and talk about our day.

2100: After loading the dishes in the washer, I head up to my room and get ready for bed. My nightly routine is pretty standard: floss and brush teeth, wash face, etc. I did recently change my skincare routine and I’ve been loving the results. I won’t go into detail about it, it’s a post for another day! When I’m actually in bed, I relax by checking my social media and listening to music.

2200: I try to fall asleep by this time but if I don’t, I clear all my apps, set my phone to shut off in 30 minutes and listen to chill music on Spotify.

That’s what my Mondays look like and basically how most of my days are like! This new schedule is not as busy as how my schedule my senior year in college was and I find that I have a lot more time to myself. I’m loving the transition to post-grad life so far! For my fellow post-grad readers, what does your day look like? Did you find some similarites or differences? Let me know in the comments!

Also, if you liked this post and want to read other posts like this, please checkout PreDPTSociety’s website. This post is actually a part of the Day In The Life series Jess and I created for our virtual club. In the series, you’ll find posts not only from us the founders, but also from physical therapists and Pre-PT students! I highly encourage visiting the site, reading the articles, and maybe even submitting a piece of your own!

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About the Author

Here you'll find my travel adventures, running antics, and college stories as I finish my undergraduate degree. I hope you'll find some inspiration and humor through my posts and maybe even take note of all the beautiful things in your life, too!